Cobot Pioneer to Launch Universal Robots+ at IMTS 2016

In the News

August 23, 2016

Press release: The International Manufacturing Technology Show 2016 in Chicago will be the North American launch pad for Universal Robots’ two unique new initiatives. At the show, the collaborative robotics market leader will present the following:

Universal Robots+: By choosing accessories, end effectors, and software from Universal Robots+, both distributors and end users get high security and predictability that applications will run well from the start, saving weeks and months in the integration process from concept to operation of the UR cobots.

+YOU: a unique, free-of-charge developer program, offering a powerful marketing and support platform for the flourishing ecosystem of UR-robot application developers.

Both will be showcased at booth N-6865 at IMTS in Chicago from Sept. 12 to 17, 2016.

With Universal Robots+, the company has created its own ecosystem enabling applications revolving around the collaborative robot arms UR3, UR5 and UR10 to be developed and showcased. The so-called URCaps, accessory components that extend the UR robots’ capabilities, can be customized hardware components, software plug-ins, or a combination of both. The aim of Universal Robots+ is to reduce implementation periods, increase user comfort and reduce costs for all parties involved.

“By integrating the URCaps showcased at the Universal Robots+ Showroom, our distribution partners and end users reduce spending on application development and testing when they deploy the URCaps as simple plug-and-play solutions,” he added. “In short, Universal Robots+ is easy access to efficient, well-proven, and safe automation solutions that we elevate to the next level by collaborating with a crucial component — the developers of today and tomorrow.”

How developers and distributors will benefit
“When a URCap has received our approval for development within Universal Robots+, we will support the developers via our local subsidiaries by providing robots for testing and optimizing URCaps,” said Stefan Tøndering Stubgaard, manager of Universal Robots’ corporate technical support. “On request, robots can also be purchased at a reduced price, given that they will be used exclusively for the development and testing of new URCaps.”

After completion of a URCaps prototype, the developer will send it to Universal Robots for examination. Tøndering Stubgaard explained: “Before a new product can be presented in our showroom, we verify its quality. In comprehensive functionality tests, we test whether the application can be implemented and operated easily and if the product conforms to Universal Robots’ quality requirements.”

In addition, developers can also get their URCaps certified by Universal Robots. In order to receive this additional quality certificate, developers must document that their solution is already operating in a real application and used successfully by a customer.

Having URCaps featured in the Universal Robots+ showroom is free of charge for developers. In providing this, Universal Robots offers all developers a...